A person who listens to industrial music. Characteristics/stereotypes of rivetheads include:

1) Anger at everything
2) That anger turning into a "More Rivet than Thou" attitude
3) A constant drive to find obscure industrial music
4) A great affection with Germany
5) A great affection with the millitary, without promoting or condoning war or violence (only violence to those lesser than you)
6) In depth knowledge of the entire history of the subculture
7) In depth knowledge of all types of industrial
8) Worship of the bands: Skinny Puppy, Throbbing Gristle, Coil, (and for the lesser rivet's) Nine Inch Nails
9) Interest in the government and what the government is up to
10) A dislike of glowsticks and ravers

Rivetheads tend to dress eaither in black, or in a millitary fashion. It is characteristic for a rivet to shave his/her head. It is also characteristic to wear goggles. The more 'industrial' in nature, the better. The industrial subculture has a vauge coherant thought, along the lines of "machines are powerful and should eaither be respected or feared."

Someone who enjoys the darker industrial side of techno, or more accurately, the more aggressive stompy side of industrial music. The rivethead is ridiculed equally by the old school industrial fans as well as the newer cyber crowd, but is usually too busy stomping to Caustic, Feindflug or Die Krupps to give a damn. Rivetheads are commonly thought of as being supremely elitist but behind those outsized military goggles there often lies a knowing sense of humour--hell, you'd need one if you dressed for war just to go clubbing.

"You call yourself a rivethead? I invented that shit. You wanna stomp to Death Method, you owe me royalties." --Chase of Reconstriction records (he may or may not have actually said this)

(N)- as defined by voltaire- a fan of industrial music, Rivet-heads take their name from the sounds of gears and clanging metal often sampled in the music they love. Rivet-head style centers around militaristic themes. This inclination is reflected in their music of choice, which charicteristically has heavy, marching rhythms and chanted vocals; distortion is also often found augmenting the metallic cacophony.